Graham Family - Part 3

It seems that the three Camfield girls (Mable, Pearl and Ruby) were trying to untangle their Graham genealogy back in the early 1930's.

In Part 1 I shared the genealogy notes that they had worked on and discovered that Rose Graham was originally named Susan. The notes also included the names of Rose's parents and paternal grandparents.

In Part 2 I found the family on the 1850 census and discovered that the family had been split up and scattered after James Madison Graham abandoned his family about 1852. Rose shared news of his death in 1897.

At some point after 1920, Xenia Belle (Henera) Graham Gallup moved in with her sister Rose and niece, Ruby Camfield. I find them together on the 1930 census living in South Bend, St Joseph Co, IN. Rose died in 1931. I don't know exactly when but Belle lived with Mabel in Windsor, Essex, Ontario for awhile and is mentioned in some of Mabel's letters. Belle died in 1933.

The following is an excerpt from an undated letter, written by Mabel to her sister Pearl, with emphasis added by me. A. B. was Aunt Belle, daughter of James Madison Graham.

middle of page 3

Now about A. B.s aunts and Uncles. I know aunt Mary Edgin. And aunt Rachel lived in Muncie. she visited us once so I remember her. she had some smart kids Rose Russel was a Doctor she may be alive now. and a son who was judge of the supreme court in California he lost a leg in the war his name was Abe Buckles (Aunt Rachel was married twice) she had 5 kids, she said she raised the youngest by the loom. her first man went to California in 52 and never came back.
Aunt Martha was May Baldwins mother she married Charlie Opfel his sister was Beitners first wife. so May was cousin to

Page 4

George & Kate Beitner.
Aunt Susie I met once. and A. B. says as far as she knows she is still in California (Stockton) she has no children. I tried to get out of A. B. where their farm >the grandfathers James Graham<. I also met John Graham he was next to the youngest he lived in the west someplace. He was a big fine looking man. he was the only one of those men I knew. can you imagine how hard their mother worked. eleven kids, and she had to make the cloth and make their clothes, bake their bread, it must have been like hell let loose, such a big family and all that work. So when you think you have a lot to do think of your great grandmother Graham she worked half the night

Page 5

I wish we knew where that farm was I would like to go past it sometime. I’ll bet you wish you hadn’t got me started on this subject. Past Lacyes Gilmacker Grist mills, 4 miles north of Niles near the bend in the River I got this much out of her. she snapped my head off and she is as dumb as an ox about lots of things, just plain dumb. I’ll bet I could tell you any place I ever was, no matter how long it has been. she keeps saying I don’t know what difference it makes. Mother used to get mad when I asked her questions about the relatives so I guess it runs in the breed. I told this old rip I didn’t see anything to get mad about.

All eleven children of Porter Graham and Susannah Bashford were listed in Part 1. Here Mabel has given me some more details about five of them plus information about some of their children.

In Part 2, Rose wrote about her father, James M. Graham, "...you know he went to Californa before I was born and never came back." And in Mabel's letter says of Aunt Rachel, "her first man went to California in 52 and never came back." I believe they traveled together.

When Mabel is talking about the farm she added "the grandfathers James Graham" and I think just just got confused as this would have been the farm of her greatgrandfather, Porter Graham. I have located the farm on an atlas and will include that when I get back to Porter and Susannah in a future post.

In Part 4 I'll share what I have and have not found on James Madison Graham.